Sir Ian McKellen to open trans Shakespeare production

Telegraph

5 days ago

Sir Ian McKellen will support an all-transgender and non-binary version of Twelfth Night.
The Shakespearean actor, 86, will introduce the one-night-only performance at the Space Theatre in London.
It will consist of a reading of the play conducted entirely by those who identify as non-binary or transgender.
The play will also be directed by Phoebe Kemp, who prefers they/them pronouns, in a new London production.
The production will also include a trigger warning alerting viewers to the fact that the comedy contains 'Shakespearean humour'.
Kemp said: 'Twelfth Night already toys with gender and performance – it feels like Shakespeare wrote it for us. This reading is about joy, solidarity and showing what's possible when trans and non-binary artists are at the centre of the story.'
The performance will take place on July 25, on the eve of a scheduled Trans Pride march through London.
The production will be the first staged by theatre company Trans What You Will, which is 'in the business of putting on Shakespeare with trans and non-binary performers'.
The company has stated: 'We believe in the importance, now more than ever, to provide opportunities for those under the trans umbrella to come together and make us laugh and cry and show the world how precious and wonderful gender diversity can be.'
Mistaken identity
Twelfth Night is known for the comedic tropes of mistaken identity and gender-swapping disguises. Twins Viola and Sebastian are shipwrecked on an island, ruled by lovelorn duke Orsino. Viola, disguised as a boy, falls in love with Orsino, who is in love with countess Olivia.
The countess, meanwhile, falls in love with Viola, whom she believes is a man. In the end, all cases of mistaken identity are resolved and the main characters are paired off for marriage.
The play's new version will not be the first time that casting decisions on Shakespearean works have been used to aid diversity and boost minority representation.
London's Globe theatre has consistently staged gender-fluid productions, in which famous roles are played by people of either gender.
In 2022, the theatre made Joan of Arc non-binary. The Maid of Orleans, a saint who led the French fight against the English in the Hundred Years' War, was given the pronouns 'they/them' rather than 'she/her'.
Women's rights campaigners raised concerns that the move was an example of female figures being 'erased' from history.
The issue of racial representation has also caused controversy, with performances of Slave Play holding 'black out nights', to which only non-white people were invited. This was to ensure that the intended all-black audience would be free from the 'white gaze'.
A spokesman for Rishi Sunak, the prime minister at the time, said it was 'concerning' that West End shows were seeking to racially segregate audiences.